Author: kurtlaser

There are few, if any, more Covid-friendly, appropriately socially distant activities than dinghy racing. Especially for kids desperate for some kind of sporting activity. That reality, and the Seattle Laser (and RS Aero!) fleets’ ongoing organizational efforts, helped make CYC-Seattle’s Turkey Bowl a big and successful event the Nov 14-15 weekend. Even with cancellation of Sunday’s racing because of too much wind, the event was a tremendous success. While there are a lot question marks regarding upcoming social events and regattas over the coming months, one thing is certain: The Seattle singlehanded scene has provided great sailing throughout this troubling year and is well set up to do so moving into the future. Seattle’s RS Aero fleet continues to thrive and attract the very best talent, while the Seattle Laser Fleets – 4.7, Radial and Standard rigs – have become the place of choice for youth you develop their skills while having a great time, and a haven for some of us oldsters.

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There were other fleets as well. Seven brave Opti sailors were on the course, four 505s and a lone Vanguard 15.

More than 20 RS Aeros turned up, and Dalton Bergan dominated with two firsts, a second and third. In the biggest Laser fleet, Hannah Weaver made a triumphant appearance winning in the Radials. There are excellent pictures from Jan Anderson (above) and John Beaver.

RESULTS

I put out the call for input about the youth fleet, and immediately got this back from Alex Zaputil, skipper of Zap, the winner of the Laser 4.7 class:

Turkey Bowl , as you know, was a one-day event. It was great to have a 10-boat fleet- the largest so far this year. Despite the forecast for Saturday, it turned out to be a generally lighter day. The first two races were a southerly of 12-15 and pretty puffy. On the first race, the fleet bunched up at the committee boat so much that I found it faster to start at the pin with speed, port tack the fleet and tack back to consolidate.  Tacking back to starboard fairly quickly was important, as the chop early in the day on port tack was not very fast! Hiking hard upwind was key. As the wind lightened for the last two races, the fleet became closer and going to the middle/right upwind paid off. — Alex Zaputil

And the following report came from Mark Ross:

Singlehanded fleets competing included RS Aeros (21 competitors), Laser Standard (5), Laser Radial (11), Laser 4.7 (9) and Opti (7).  Double handed fleets included 505’s (4 boats), FJs (4) and Vanguards (2).

One of the Aero sailors described the sailing as follows: On Saturday four races were sailed with a mix of wind conditions. The first two races were medium breeze and the last race was light. The wind and current were going opposite directions throughout the day, so keeping the bow above the chop and the boat dry was important. The pin end of the start line was being pushed up the course with the current resulting in several general recalls in the very aggressive Aero fleet, and the RC worked hard to keep the line square. The pin end of the start line was still generally favored. There were shifts on both sides of the course with longer lasting left shifts. You could go left or right up the windward leg as long as you maximized the time on the lifts and covered the fleet when there was an opportunity to do so. On the downwind legs it was important to have a good visual on the mark and it usually worked to sail close to the rhumb line while taking into account a few degrees of offset for the current.

Unfortunately on Sunday morning racing was postponed and competitors remained on shore as the wind was consistently blowing around 30. Shortly after noon the race committee canceled racing entirely for the day as the wind remained strong and there was no expectation that it would drop.  Thus the finishes on Saturday resulted in the following regatta winners….Dalton Bergan (RS Aero), Owen Timms (Laser Standard), Hanne Weaver (Laser Radial), Alex Zaputil (Laser 4.7), Barrett Milne (Optimist).

Thanks to CYC for putting on a great regatta.

–Mark Ross

The next frostbite is scheduled for December 6. Register here and dress warmly.

It doesn’t really stave off the Corona Virus, but singlehanded practice racing on Thursday evenings has sure made the social distancing we must all do a little easier to take. Thursday a couple nights ago we had a count of 21 RS Aeros and 15 Lasers at various times. Reports from Kaitlyn Van Nostrand and Mike Johnson. This photo courtesy of John Beaver – the rest here. Photos below by Doug Frazer. – Kurt Hoehne

Lasers by Kaitlyn van Nostrand

This week we were greeted with a beautiful 10+ knot northerly blowing down the sound. Once again the Aero sailors, out in force, beat most of the Laser out on the water. The Aero’s started right on time for a first race at 6pm. It was beautiful sailing conditions with a warm breeze and nice waves to play in. The Lasers started with only about 6 Lasers on the line, but as the racing continued, more joined in for a total of 13. We older sailors made a joke, as there were only 3 laser sailors older than 23! Well done to the youth and college sailors for coming out. The Aero fleet was 20+ sailors strong, nearly all adults and very close finishes!

After the start, it was a race to get to the wall for current relief for both fleets. Making the boat favored at the start. It was a game of who could get to the right first. The courses were windward leeward twice. Each lasting about 20 minutes. There was a lot of hiking in the first race and those hiking hard showed at the top mark! The first race did get some aero and laser mixing with both fleets sailing upwind together. Making for lots of great action with close ducks. The second race was spaced out a bit more, so the fleets did not overlap as much.

As the races continued, the wind slowly subsided. Making the right even more favored with the current flowing. We still had good waves though! Four races were sailed overall for both fleets. Making it a beautiful evening out on the sound. Looking forward to next week. Thanks to the race committee Jared for keeping us going and Mark Ross for organizing.

(Ed. Note – in at least 3/5 races the winners were overlapped, sometimes 3 boats! And there were always Radials at or near the front of the fleet with the full rig, even as the wind dropped.)

RS Aeros by Mike Johnson

An evening of sailing does not get much better than May 28, 2020 in Puget Sound.  A warm (80F) “Meadow Point Hurricane” with a fleet of 21 competitive boats and 5 races each about 25 minutes duration. The range of conditions (wind and current) beginning with a puffy 12 to 15 knots and dropping to 5-12 knots  at the end varied enough each race to ensure a fresh perspective was required in pre-race strategy. What better way to take ones mind off the current pandemic and gain a sense of perspective after being home bound for 2 months. Kudos to the RC for recognizing the fleet dynamic of wanting to go right and then biasing the pin end of the start line to spread people out down the line.  It worked beautifully.

Over the course of the evening, the front of the fleet was populated almost every race by Jay Renehan, Andrew Loe, Dalton Bergan, and Carl Buchan (last 3 races). These four have a gift of balancing all the variables and priorities to consistently play the odds in their favor.  This high standard certainly keeps the other 17 boats on their toes. Any sailor who desires to improve his or her game would do themselves a favor to come out and join this group.

Good Laser and RS Aero fleets turned out for the first frostbite of the new decade, and someone (I’d love to know who!) captured some pretty cool clouds and a sea lion to boot. And I’ll bet they got into the club in time to watch most of the Seahawks game! It’s worth noting fleet member Derek Bottles just took second in the RS Aero 9 class Worlds in Australia. -KH

Jay Leon reports: “Thank you to everyone who braved the elements and made today a super Frostbite Sunday.

“Special thanks to our RC team of Dave Watt and Jacques Garrigues for their expertise and awesome craft!  Thanks as always for the untiring leadership of Mark Ross…we are very lucky to be part of this fleet. 
Here are some pictures to remember the day.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/fN7CW7vW69XCGvUp7“

The wind was light but it was enough to make it well worth racing—a fun day for all. No rain, reasonably warm temperatures, and a light current. 

The RS Aero Fleet included 13 competitors. There were 10 Lasers made up of Standard, Radial and 4.7 rigs, and once again 2 Optis. The wind was generally from the NW but bounced around enough in the first hour to require some quick windward mark and start line buoy adjustments. Race Committee Randy Shuman and Carl Buchan took it in stride and kept the starts moving at a rapid clip. There were separate starts for the Aero and Laser fleets, each fleet completing about 6 races before heading back to the docks for chili and beverages provided by Dan Herron. Thank you RC and Food volunteers, and to Geoff Pease for keeping an eye on the Optis.
Once again I want to say how much I appreciate everyone’s participation. Special thanks to all of you making the trek from Bainbridge Island, Olympia, Bellingham, Tacoma, Whidbey Island. Not to say that even Woodinville and Bellevue can seem like a long haul these days. 

NEXT FROSTBITE Frostbite #4 is on January 5, 2020: RACE COMMITTEE Driver Jay Leon and RC Assist Dave Watt.FOOD Erin TimmsBEVERAGE Paul Lisagor* For Frostbite #5 (Feb 23) we need a Food volunteer and a Beverage volunteer. You can still sail on that day; costs are reimbursed.  Volunteer here, or directly contact Glenn Wisegarver (F&B Coordinator) To participate in a Frostbite Event please register on-line from the link at www.SeattleLaserFleet.org.  If unable to register on-line bring cash or check.

Fee options: (1)  All 6 race days for one low price of $75(2)  Single race day fees are $20 (3)  Students thru college fees $5 per race day(4)  No charge for students who participated in the College and High School qualifiers regatta for Singlehanded Championships in October 2019Note: Seattle Laser Fleet membership is NOT required in order to participate. Drop-ins are welcome.

By Mark Ross

Our second Frostbite surprised everyone with both good wind and no rain…and an MLS Cup win to-boot!    Thanks to our volunteer Race Committee, Jacques Garrigues and Mark Reed, both the Aero and Laser Fleets had about 7 races with separate starts. There were about 8 Aero’s participating. Lasers started with 8 boats, comprised of a combination of Radial, Full rig and 4.7 sailors. After race 5 we ended up with nearly 16 Lasers once a bunch of fast youth sailors dropped in as part of their weekend clinic.

Thanks to all participants and especially those making their way over from Sail Sand Point, Mt Baker, the Laser and Opti sailing clinic and individuals from around the region.  A special shout-out to two OPTI sailors who are paving the way to a bigger group to join us for following Frostbites.  

The wind direction was fairly consistent out of the NW at a welcome 9-12 mph making it competitive for all sailors whether using small or large rig/sails. Upwind in the first few races seemed to favor going right toward Meadow Point for lesser current, and in successive races the variance in wind pressure seemed to slightly favor one side over the other. The water conditions were choppy throughout the afternoon.  

BIG THANKS to George Torralba for providing us with tasty sandwiches, chowder and lasagna in the clubhouse after raacing. And to Glenn Wisegarver for beverages and coordinating the Food & Beverage operation for the season (again).  

Frostbite #3 is on December 8, 2019:  The RC Driver will be Randy Shuman with RC assist Carl Buchan. We need someone to volunteer for Food & Beverage. Everyone is expected to pitch-in at some point in the season. You can still sail on that day; F&B costs are reimbursed.  Volunteer here, or directly contact Glenn Wisegarver (F&B Coordinator) if you’re unsure of what to do.   If you cannot volunteer for Food or Beverage for Frostbite #3 please go to the link and sign-up for a subsequent Frostbite Sunday. Everyone is expected to pitch-in at some point in the season.

To participate in a Frostbite Event please register on-line from the link at www.SeattleLaserFleet.org.  If unable to register on-line bring cash or check. Fee options:  (1)  All 6 race days for one low price of $75 (2)  Single race day fees are $20  (3)  Students thru college fees $5 per race day. Note: Seattle Laser Fleet membership is NOT required in order to participate. Drop-ins are welcome.      

Last weekend BYC put on a GREAT PCCs in Bellingham. We’ll get the full report soon, but in the meantime here’s one of Mike Powell’s photos. You can see the rest here.

From the BYC Facebook Page: Two race courses, 32 volunteers, 101 sailors, two great dinners and wind all weekend from 5 to 25kts. This bay delivered again. One design is growing and thriving in the world of sailing. The DJOD and Laser Pacific Coast Championships went off well with the efforts of the BYC and friends.